A CLYDEBANK schoolgirl who has spent her life in and out of hospital has donated arts, crafts and toys worth more than £1,500 to the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow.

Millie Smith, age seven, has an illness which causes her bowel to malfunction and has spent more of the last year in hospital than at home while awaiting specialist treatment at Great Ormond Street hospital in London.

The Kilbowie Primary pupil benefits from a play team on her ward, who offer one-to-one play and activity resources.

These resources are bought with donations to the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity (GCHC) – but the coronavirus pandemic, and the effect it has had on many arts and crafts companies, means the charity’s resources have begun to run out.

Millie’s mum Aimee set up an online crowdfunder to raise cash for the charity, as well as posting a link to an Amazon wishlist of toys and craft resources for people to buy items and have them delivered to her home.

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Hundreds of Bankies donated money or bought items on the list, and last Thursday items worth more than £1,500 were delivered to the hospital.

Aimee said: “Millie has been in hospital for the majority of her life. She misses out on school and she doesn’t get much time with her friends.

“For Millie, the play team and activities in the hospital is her only escape – and due to Covid, she has also not been allowed to have her grandma and great-grandma visit, or her friends, who would usually come up to see her after school.

“She understands that Covid-19 carries germs which could make her really sick, but she doesn’t understand why she isn’t allowed out of her room to go for a wee walk down the corridor.

“Until last week, I was the only one allowed to be with her and her dad was not allowed to even visit.”